"I know." He rinsed the cloth and continued, his movements never wavering. "But you don't have to be strong right now. Not with me. You can let go."
The words broke something inside me—some wall I'd been holding up since the moment I'd arrived on this planet.
The tears came then—hot and fast and unstoppable. I pressed my face against Ahrick's chest and let them fall, my body shaking with sobs I'd been holding back for weeks, maybe months, maybe my entire life.
He held me through it, one hand stroking my hair with infinite patience, the other wrapped around my waist like he could hold me together through sheer force of will.
"It's okay," he murmured against my hair, his voice low and soothing. "I've got you. I've got you, and I'm not letting go."
And he did.
He had me.
Completely.
The tears eventually slowed, then stopped, leaving me hollow and exhausted and somehow lighter than I'd felt in months.
I pulled back slightly, wiping at my face with the back of my hand, and found Ahrick watching me with an expression I couldn't quite name. Concern, yes. But also something else. Something that looked almost like awe.
"What?" I asked, my voice rough from crying.
"You," he said simply. "You're incredible."
I laughed—a wet, broken sound that wasn't quite humor. "I just fell apart on you."
"No." His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing away a stray tear. "You let yourself feel what you've been through. That's not falling apart."
We cleaned up properly after that.
Ahrick stripped off his ruined pants and stood at the basin, washing away the blood. I did the same, scrubbing my skin until it was raw and clean and felt like mine again.
The Welati armor went in a pile by the door. My clothes followed—ruined beyond saving.
We were both naked and exhausted and marked by violence in ways that went deeper than skin.
But we were alive.
And we were together.
And somehow, that was enough.
I pulled on one of Ahrick's shirts—too big, hanging to mid-thigh, smelling like him—and he wrapped a loincloth around his waist. Then we sat on the bed, side by side, our shoulders touching, drawing comfort from the simple fact of proximity.
"The comm unit," I said after a long moment of silence. "We should contact Nansar. Let him know we're alive."
Ahrick nodded and stood, moving to the loose floorboard where I'd hidden the device. He pried it up and pulled out the small device, then handed it to me.
My hands were steadier now, the shaking finally starting to subside.
I activated the unit and selected Nansar's frequency.
The connection crackled to life almost immediately, like Nansar had been waiting by his comm.
"Merrilee?" Nansar's voice was sharp with concern. "Are you safe? Is Ahrick with you?"
"We're safe." I glanced at Ahrick, taking in his bandaged shoulder, his exhausted face. "Hewes is dead."
A pause—weighted with surprise and relief. Then: "Confirmed?"
